When a Boy Needs His Father
by Allyypop
Summary: What happens when hidden feelings of Gohan's resurface? What would said feelings cause him to do? And what can Goku say or do to reach his lost son? Secrets will be revealed about Goku's past actions.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I obviously don't own any part of Dragon Ball Z, although like every other fan I wish I did. **

**Hello everyone! This is going to be my first story here so please be kind with your comments. I have always loved the bond shared between Goku and Gohan so decided to write a little story on it, although its not going to be sweet and happy until later. I have always felt that Gohan had to hide his feelings throughout his whole life so I thought it would be interesting to explore them a little. This first chapter is short but I thinks enough to catch your interest. Enjoy! (:**

_'blah blah blah' _= Thoughts

"blah blah blah" = Normal dialogue

* * *

Gohan's POV

It has been a week since my father beat Majin Buu. Dad was brought back to life by the sacrifice of the Elder Kai and has now returned to normal living with mom, Goten, and me, well as close to "normal" as our family could get. It's been so great having my dad back at home; everyone, especially mom, hasn't been this happy in a long time. He being back is still kind of surreal for me. I mean I've lived seven long years without him that now having him back just feels like a dream come true. In fact, I've been dreaming of him coming back for so long that now I have to pinch myself just to remind myself that I'm not asleep and that this is actually real life.

_'My dad, Goku, the greatest fighter in the universe, is actually alive.'_ Man, I don't think I'll ever get tired of that thought.

Now don't get me wrong, I am completely ecstatic about my dad's return, but this whole week I have been in this kind of funk that I just can't get out of. I had no idea what the reason of it was until a couple of days ago, and now that I know the reason, I am filled with complete shame for myself. In this whole week my father and I have hardly spent any time together; it's eating me alive and I hate myself for feeling this way. I am acting completely selfish, and it's not like any of us have had any time for bonding anyways! I have been submerged in schoolwork while my father has been trying to start a relationship with Goten. With these reasons I should be able to expel my negative feelings but no matter how hard I try I just can't. I am ashamed to say but I'm jealous of the time Goten has spent with dad. I know that it's so important for them to bond and I'm actually really happy for Goten but deep down I envy him for it. I've been so used to being the main focus of my father's world that now I can't seem to handle having to share him, especially now that he's alive.

_'He used to be MY dad, but now he's OUR dad.'_ Ugh, just hearing myself think that makes me sick to my stomach. How I could be this selfish is beyond me.

_'God, I am such a mess.'_

Now knowing the shameful truth of my funk, I've managed to push my emotional turmoil aside for the most part. But still, my dreams are haunted by these wretched feelings that never seem to leave me alone. I've wanted to talk to my dad about it after awhile, but like I said before we have all just been incredibly busy. And talking to mom about it is out of the question. She would just freak out and make all of us have a "family sit-down", and trust me those things are the worst. I'd rather fight a deadly enemy than experience one of those sit downs again. So, when my father came into my room this morning and asked if I wanted to spend the evening with him, well let's just say I didn't turn down the offer.

_'Finally, some time alone with my dad!_'

The whole morning I was too excited to even focus on my schoolwork, although I did try my hardest. By mid-morning I had just given up on studying completely (I could just do it all tomorrow). I decided to just lie on my bed and imagine all the things my father and I could do this afternoon. We could spar, go fishing, go hiking, go play in the forest; anything was fine as long as I was with him. These happy thoughts didn't last though, as all the negative feelings I had pushed aside came flooding through my mind. The jealousy, the hurt, the guilt, they all just came rushing back. Emotions I hadn't even thought I had towards my father pushed themselves into my mind. Anger, confusion, abandonment; so much hurt, so much guilt, and so much heartache. I gasped for air as I clutched at my chest. These emotions were choking me, and no matter how much I tried I couldn't get the air back into my lungs. I hadn't even noticed that tears were flooding down my face, for I was too caught up in all the emotions and thoughts going through my head.

_'Cell! It's my fault you died dad. It's my entire fault! Why did you put all the pressure to defeat him on me? I'm a failure.'_

_'We should have kept training! I was just slowing you down.'_

_'I needed you daddy, why didn't you come back?'_

_'Even with that immense power increase, you still had to clean up after my mess against Majin Buu! Why can't I do anything right?'_

_'You could never love someone as disappointing as me, father.'_

_'I'm so sorry, for everything.'_

My eyes burned, my chest ached, and I couldn't stop shaking. I hadn't realized I had been keeping so much behind bars until now. And I hated myself even more for it. I curled up into a fetal position and plopped my head into my arms. The tears started to slow down and the rapid thoughts became normal but the damage was done.

_'How can I face my father now, knowing that I don't even deserve to be in his wonderful presence? I can't face him now. Not after what just happened to me, maybe not ever.' _

The last thought pierced my already broken heart, causing my head to shoot up and my eyes to widen more then I even thought possible.

_'Never being able to see dad again.'_ That one thought hurt more than all the other negative thoughts I had put together. The tears started flowing once again. My eyes burned so badly now that I had to close them, which allowed my mind to really let the thought sink in.

_'It's what I deserve. Never being able to satisfy the want and desire to be with my dad, it's the only punishment terrible enough to go with all that I've done wrong.'_Never experiencing my father's embrace again, never hearing his joyous laugh, never seeing his million dollar smile, or never having his love again, it is the most fitting consequence I can think of.

My head hurt from all the painful thinking, so I leaned it against my headboard. _'I love you so much dad. I'm sorry for what I've done to you and the rest of the world. I'm so sorry.'_

I sighed. I hurt everywhere, even my muscles were fatigued. Only one or two tears now fell from my closed eyes, but it was enough for me to know that I wasn't ready to move just yet. Suddenly, I felt a sense of calmness and warmth surround me. I felt, comfort. I opened my eyes and looked around. No one was in my room, yet I continuously felt comforting warmth around me. It's like it was surrounding me, inside and out. Slowly, my body made its way out of the cuddled up position I was in and just relaxed itself on my bed.

_'This is so strange. One minute, I'm having an emotional breakdown and the next I'm completely relaxed. What's going on here?'_ The feeling slowly faded away, although the calmness it created didn't leave my body. 'Good, now I can think.' I forced myself to get up and walk over toward my window. I looked at all the beauty that the view held. I could have gotten lost in that view until I noticed how much the sky had dimmed.

"How could I have wasted so much time? Dad would be coming to get me in a couple of hours!"

A new sense of panic rushed over me as I knew I couldn't allow myself to face my dad today. The mass of emotions had just gone down and I did not want them coming back up any time soon.

_'I could just tell him that I changed my mind. Oh, but then he'd be crushed! I couldn't do that to him.' _The more I thought, the more I started to panic. I couldn't very well fly off somewhere. My dad would surely notice the spike in my ki and if he wouldn't, then Piccolo would. So, after much debate with myself, I did the only thing I could think of. I ran. I jumped out of my window and ran as fast as I could without raising my ki. I didn't know where I was going but anywhere was better than being at home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own any part of Dragon Ball Z.**

**Hello again. I know I just posted the first chapter but I just couldn't wait to continue! Writing this has been so much fun, its like I'm taping into my inner Gohan. Haha well I won't keep you any longer. Enjoy the next chapter!**

_'blah blah blah'_ = Thoughts

"blah blah blah" = Normal dialogue

**Blah blah blah** = Telepathic conversations

* * *

Gohan's POV

As I ran through the forest, my locked up emotions started flowing through my mind again. I heard myself groan and felt tears threatening to come out.

_'Please, no more. I can't handle it again._' But no matter how hard I begged the thoughts kept coming and soon the tears started flowing. No matter how much pain I was in though, I kept running. I ran from my father, my emotions, and my thoughts. I kept running 'til I came to a small clearing a good amount away from my home. It had a small lake in the middle of it and it was surrounded by giant trees so it wasn't very seeable from the sky. I chose this place to stop and immediately collapsed on the ground from exhaustion. My breathing was completely erratic from the running so I just lay in that spot until my lungs calmed down. I had stopped crying awhile ago but now that I had stopped running my eyes began to get wet again. I shook my head to get rid of the thoughts and crawled over to the small lake. I looked at my reflection and examined myself for the first time since my incident this morning. My eyes were red and my face looked a bit swollen from all the tears. My dark blue gi was wet at the front from said tears. My nose was slightly red and my hair was messy from my fingers constantly running through it from the stress. _'Other than that, I look exactly like my dad.'_

I sighed after that thought. _'Except with this short hair. I wish mom had let me keep the style I had during the Cell Games. Then I would have looked exactly like dad.'_

I ran my fingers through my hair, wondering how long it would take for it to grow out. Then I looked down at my gi, scolding myself for not wearing an orange gi like my father's.

_'Goten wears one, so I should too._'

I sigh again. _'He probably wouldn't want a disappointment like me wearing one of his outfits._'

At that thought, my forgotten tears started to seep down my cheeks, slow at first, then they picked up speed. I stared at my reflection once again, and this time all I saw was a weak boy who didn't deserve to be loved by anyone. I crawled away from the lake and sat myself down right near it. I found myself in the same fetal position I was in this morning and began to cry even more.

_'Why am I so weak? Why can't I just do something right so I can deserve my dad's love again? Why did I have to be so terrible to drive my father to stay dead all those years ago? Why is it always my fault?'_

I fell onto my hands and knees then and clawed at the ground.

"Why? Why can't I get rid of these wretched emotions?" I managed to choke out from my sobs. "I'm sorry daddy. I'm sorry."

Those words were barely in whispers but apparently they were loud enough for someone with super hearing to notice.

**Gohan, Gohan are you alright? **

As soon as I heard his powerful voice in my head, my thoughts dispersed and my tears froze.

_'Damn it. I should have known that Piccolo would hear all my racket out here! Now what am I gonna do?_' I punched the ground in anger at my stupidity. I suddenly realized what if Piccolo came to look for me? How close was he from my location? I sensed out his ki and sure enough he was headed straight towards the area near my home. I started to panic and rushed to hide myself in the brush around the part of the forest I was in. _'Oh great, he's gonna realize I'm not at home and then tell my dad that I'm missing! This is just what I need.'_

**Gohan, answer me. I know you can hear me. **

_'Oh shoot, I forgot about that!_'

**Hey Piccolo, I'm fine. Nothing to worry about here.**

_'Great, even the voice in my mind sounds emotionally distressed!' _

**Are you sure? I've been sensing your ki going crazy all day**.

_'So it was my ki and not my words that sparked his concern.'_ I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself enough to speak normally this time.

**Piccolo I appreciate the concern but really, I'm fine. There's no need for you to come check up on me. You should go back to the Lookout. I'm fine.**

There was a silence in the telepathic conversation then and I took that time to sense out his ki again. Piccolo had stopped flying and was now just hovering. _'He's obviously trying to make up his mind about going back or not. Please Piccolo, please go back._'

I continued to sense his stilled ki for what felt like hours. Finally, I felt it pick up and sensed that he had started traveling in the opposite direction.

_'Oh thank goodness.'_ I let out a breath that I hadn't even realized I was holding in.

"That was too close," I said aloud.

* * *

Once Piccolo was far enough away, I stepped out of my hiding place and walked back towards the lake. I sat down at the edge and looked up towards the sky.

_'Well the sun is still were I last saw it from my window, give or take a few inches. I still have an hour of two until I have to completely push my power level down to zero and find a place to camp out.'_

I let out a huge sigh. I have no other choice but to stay away from home tonight. I just can't bring myself to face my dad. Not yet anyways. I knew that once my father realized I was missing he would go out and look for me. I would cause everyone to worry: Goten, mom, and dad. Hell, dad might even get a whole search party going if he was really worried. I didn't want to do that to them but I can't go back home. Going back home just wasn't an option.

I brought my head back down and looked at the water thoughtfully. _'It's been awhile since I've gone swimming. It wouldn't hurt to go in for an hour until I have to leave this beautiful place.'_

I nodded to myself and got undressed. Leaving only my boxers on, I jumped into the cool water.

"Oh man! This water feels great!"

I took a deep breath and dove back into the blue water. I swam deep into the water, checking out the undersea environment that this small lake contained. Little yellow fishes swam across the bottom of the lake. A few red crabs were gathered on the rocks near the surface. There was coral and seaweed all along the sides of the lake. I made it to the sandy bottom of the lake and swam along there.

_'There's not too much life in here, but considering how small this lake is I'm not really surprised.'_ Suddenly, I felt something tickling my feet and I stopped swimming. I looked down and saw a pack of tiny crawfish crawling all over my feet. I tried not to laugh under the water but it was no use, the crawfish tickled too much! I fought to get them off of me but by the time I finally got the last one off I was out of breathe. I rocketed towards to surface, and after what felt like ages, I finally popped my head out. I gasped for breathe and swam to the edge for support.

"Man," I breathed out, "this lake might be small but it sure is deep." I pushed myself out of the water and lay out in the sun.

'_It would be quicker to dry myself off with my ki but I can't risk it._'

I laid there for a couple minutes before I decided I was dry enough to put my gi back on. I had just put on my pants when I felt a power level headed my way. Quickly, I grabbed my shirt and my shoes and ran to the same brush where I hid last time. _'Oh man, who could it be?'_

I pushed my energy level down to zero and tried to sense out the person. _'The ki feels familiar but I can't quite... Oh no its Krillin!' _

I pushed myself ever further into the brush, although I was already hidden since the huge trees here shaded the whole entire area.

_'Ugh, why is Krillin here? Unless...'_ I turned my attention towards my house and sensed any ki levels near there.

_'Damn it I was right! There's a group of them near there, about nine of them. I can make out my family there but who are the rest of the characters?'_ I strengthened my concentration this time; it's hard sensing power levels this far away, especially when they are all suppressed.

_'Okay, I can sense Vegeta and trunks there, meaning that Bulma is there as well. That already makes six. And of course Piccolo is there, which is just FANTASTIC. He probably told everyone about our little conversation earlier. Now who are... ah its Yamcha and Tien. Now counting Krillin, their search party is ten in total. Great._'

I was irritated at this point. I had gained a nice little headache trying to make out the people who surrounded my house and I still had Krillin nearby meaning that I couldn't move a muscle.

_'Well this is just great. Dad must have come to get me early and gathered his little posse once he saw that I was gone. Ugh, why couldn't they all just leave well enough alone!'_

I shook my head after this. _'This is just what I need right now, my anger getting the best of me.'_

I took slow, deep breathes in order to calm myself. I kept my eye on Krillin's ki and just prayed that he would leave soon reporting that this area was clear.

_'Come on Krillin, you've been searching here for about ten minutes now, give it up!_' As if on cue, I felt Krillin's ki pick up and head towards my house.

"Oh finally," I sighed in relief.

I took this time to put on the rest of my clothes and then sat down to sense out if anyone else was near my area.

_'It seems clear, but knowing dad he won't stop searching until he finds me.' _

Groaning, I started it think of where I should go from here. _'Well, I should probably find a place to sleep, preferably a cave that's well hidden by the trees. Yeah that would be good.'_

I stood up and prepared to go search when I felt a sense of someone trying to enter my mind_. 'Piccolo. He's trying to find me through our bond, how clever!'_

I was completely annoyed at this point but I pushed my anger aside and thought of what to do.

_'There's only one thing I can do.'_ I sat down again and focused on severing the bond between Piccolo and I.

I closed my eyes and tried to focus on the energy link that kept us bonded. It was strong but if I concentrated hard enough I knew I could break it.

_'I can't believe I'm doing this. What if Piccolo never forgives me?' _I felt Piccolo's presence in my mind grow stronger. As I prepared to break the last holding pieces of the link, I decided it was only right to send him a sort of goodbye message.

**I wish I didn't have to do this for I don't know how permanent it is, but you leave me no choice my friend. I'm sorry. **

**Gohan, what are you... **

Gone. The place in my mind where the bond used to be was now gone. I fell onto my hands and knees from the sheer pressure of it all. I felt tears threaten to come out of my eyes as I felt the emptiness inside my soul where Piccolo and I were once connected. I had just given up the bond I had with one of my closest friends. It hurt so much. I felt Piccolo's ki falter and I knew then that he had too felt and realized what I had just done.

_'I suppose I will have to do the same thing to my father's bond for he will try the same thing once Piccolo comes back._'

As that thought sunk in, I felt my insides begin to turn and my heart begin to race. I knew what I had to do but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

_'Father... I can't lose you this way, I just can't. What if this bond can never be rebuilt? What would I be destroying in order to just stay hidden?'_

I felt sick to my stomach and I couldn't control my breathing. '_Cutting myself off from my father completely, it's what I deserved right? It's what I had been planning to do since this morning, although I never thought of the bond. I just don't know if I can do it.'_

Suddenly, I felt Piccolo's ki pick up drastically as he raced towards home.

"He knows. He knows what I'm about to do and he trying to get home and warn dad before I can get the chance to do it."

Still on my hands and knees, I tried to clear my mind of all emotions and thoughts as best as I could. _'I need to focus! Severing this bond is going to take a lot more time than Piccolo's._'

Taking a deep breath, I sat back up, crossed my legs, and focused onto the strong mind link of my dad's. I went into a meditative state and placed myself inside my mind.

* * *

Everything was dark. I walked around searching for light. Not just any light, the light that radiated from the link between my father and me. I had a job to do and I was determined to get it done. Finally, I saw what I was looking for.

"Wow, I knew our link was strong but I never imagined it to be THIS strong!"

Lying in front of me was a glowing beam of energy that was taller that I was, and it was just as thick.

"Well, here we go."

With Piccolo's link I was able to break it with severe concentration but with my dad's I had to actually go into myself and rip it apart with my own hands. I had barely gotten through a fourth of the link when the pain in my hands became unbearable. The glowing heat from the link was burning my hands but I had not yet stopped to look at the damage until now. My hands looked red and bloody. I looked away quickly and stared at the link.

"There's got to be another way to break this thing without burning my hands so much."

Trying an idea, I gathered up a small energy ball and threw it at the bond.

"Ugh it hardly did a thing!" I yelled in frustration.

"Maybe if I make it bigger..."

I gathered more energy into my hands and prepared to do a Kamehameha wave.

"KA- ME- HA- ME- HAAAAAA!"

The blast hit directly on the bond and I watched with hope that the blast would do some damage. Suddenly I heard cracking and saw that the blast was in fact cutting the bond! Putting more energy into the blast, I continued to hold to wave until I no long could sustain it. After all, I wasn't as powerful inside my mind as I was outside of it. Seeing as I only had barely any bond left to tear at, I decided to just use my wounded hands to finish the job.

"This pain is nothing compared to what I will have to deal with after the bond is broken..." I whispered to myself.

I tore at the remaining light and just as I was about to make the final tear I heard I familiar voice ringing through my head.

"Gohan!"

"Who in the world..." I questioned to myself.

I looked around until I saw standing before me the man whom I had been spending the whole day trying to avoid. I completely froze in shock. Shakily, I said the only word I could think of at the moment.

"Daddy?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry about the long wait, but I was having a bit of writer's block for this one. This is gonna be a longer chapter than normal, I hope you guys dont mind too much. I had planned to make this one single chapter but once I got rid of my writer's block I just couldn't stop writing; so now I decided it would be better to split this POV into two chapters. Because of this, I'm already halfway done with the next chapter so hopefully you guys won't get too impatient with me. That is all (:**

"blah blah blah" = Normal dialogue

_'blah blah blah'_ = Thoughts

**Blah blah blah** = Telepathic conversations

* * *

Goku's POV

The moment I felt Gohan's ki this morning, I knew something was up. It was going haywire, full of painful emotions that I had never felt from Gohan before. I wanted to get check on him but I was busy playing with Goten. I couldn't very well leave him in the middle of the forest while I went to check on Gohan, but I couldn't bring him with me either because I didn't want him to worry. So I did the only thing I could do while still being able to be with Goten, I sent him good energy. I used our bond to send him warmth and comfort to try and calm him down. It seemed to work until a new sense of great confusion set it. I sent more comforting energy towards him and soon all I felt from him was complete calmness. Content with the work I had done, I focused back on Goten, although I made a note to bring up what happened when Gohan and I hung out later on.

The next time I felt worried was when I felt Piccolo's presence leaving the Lookout and heading towards my house. I sensed great concern in Piccolo's ki, which only made my worries grow. _'It has to be about Gohan, Piccolo must have sensed his distress as well.' _

Once again, I was stuck not able to do anything so I just waited to see what Piccolo would do. I sensed him pause in his journey and then after some time turn back around towards the Lookout. His ki had returned to normal but a small sense of worry still hung close. I decided to try and forget about this odd little event for the moment, since nothing had really happened, and focus on playing with Goten. After all, if I wanted to create a strong bond with Goten I had to spend as much time with him as I could.

After awhile, I decided to cut my time with Goten short. I just couldn't give him the attention he deserved today because my mind kept drifting to all of the weird stuff that had happened concerning Gohan. I wanted to make sure he was okay, and start my afternoon with him a bit early. I told Goten that we were going to go back home so that he could get ready to go to Bulma's house. He got so excited at that because he just loves to spend time with Trunks. So once he was ready, we flew back towards our house. While flying, I tried to sense out Gohan's energy to see if he was okay but I couldn't find him at all. That worried me a bit, but I just reasoned that maybe he was sleeping or trying to train his ki.

_'I never know with Gohan. For all I know he could be sitting at his desk, completely fine. Maybe I just didn't focus enough.'_ I always tried to think positive, even in the grimmest of situations. I was snapped out of my thoughts, however, when I smelled something coming from the direction of my house.

"Wow, I smell something good! Chi-chi must be working overtime today!"

Goten sniffed the air and nodded in agreement. Very soon we landed in front of our little round home. I was about to walk in when I sensed something wrong with Goten.

"Goten, what is it?"

He was looking down at his feet, kicking the dirt around.

"Oh it's nothing daddy."

Unconvinced, I got to his level and gently lifted his head up with my fingers.

"Goten, tell daddy what's wrong."

Goten shifted uncomfortably and then jumped into my arms. I was shocked and confused at the action but placed my arms around my son anyways.

"Goten?" I said curiously.

I heard him mumble something in my shirt but I couldn't quite make out what he said.

"I have no idea what you just said son."

He then lifted his small head up and starred at me with wet eyes. I hadn't even noticed he had been crying into my shirt, until now.

"I don't want to my day with you yet dad. What if you go out with Gohan and never want to play with me again?"

I looked back at his young face with great confusion. His eyes were filled with fear and tears were starting to run down cheeks.

"Goten, why would you even say such a thing? Of course I'm gonna play with you again! I love you son! Just because I'm gonna spend some time with Gohan doesn't mean that I will forget about my little ball of energy here." I ruffled his hair and placed a big smile on my face.

Goten's tears had stopped but he still didn't look convinced. Frowning, I took him out of my arms and stood him up in front of me. I placed both my hands on his shoulders then and squeezed them enough to make him squirm in reaction; I had to make sure he was going to really listen to what I was about to say.

"Son, I know you might be worried that because I have been in Gohan's life longer than yours that I might forget about you once I leave with him today, but the fact of the matter is that's never gonna happen. I could never forget about you Goten, you're my son. But you have to remember that Gohan is my son as well, and I have to spend time with him too. I've spent plenty of time with you this week, and I'm sure Trunks misses you very much."

At the mention of Trunks, Goten's eyes lit up and a smile appeared on his face. I knew he had finally understood so I decided to wrap up my little "pep talk".

"And besides Goten, I already promised you that I would spend all day tomorrow with you. It won't kill yah to be away from me for one little afternoon."

At that, Goten's smile widened and I knew he was feeling much better. Chuckling at him, I ruffled his hair again, picked him up and placed him on my shoulder.

"Now, are you ready to go inside?" I asked, tilting my head to see his face.

"Yes dad" he said happily.

Grinning, I walked into the house, ducking a little so Goten's head wouldn't hit the door frame.

"Chi-Chi, we're home!"

"Goku, I didn't expect you two to be home so soon" said my wife who had turned away from the food she was cooking to look at the two of us.

"Yeah well I thought that it would be a good idea to start my time with Gohan early. We do have a lot of stuff to catch up on. Plus, it would give Goten more time to play with Trunks." I scratched the back of my head and smiled at her.

I had hoped to sound as convincing as possible. It's true, we did have a lot of things to catch up on but the real reason I wanted to start so early was because I was concerned about Gohan. I had been worried about him all morning after all.

Chi-Chi seemed to buy my excuse. I sighed silently and placed Goten on the floor so he could go get ready for Bulma's. I decided to go see if Gohan was ready so walked towards his closed door. As I got closer I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off_. 'Something's not right here, I can feel it.'_ Once I grabbed Gohan's door and opened it, I immediately figured out what was wrong. _'He's gone!'_

I was in a state of panic. I searched his entire bedroom, although I already knew he wasn't there.

_'Where could he have gone? Oh man, why didn't I notice him leave? I should have sensed him!_'

I mentally screamed at myself for being this careless. Looking around once last time, I noticed his large window was open. I walked up to it curiously and saw what appeared to be footprints in the grass, leading off into the woods that were in front of them.

_'He ran. That's why I didn't sense any energy spikes from him! But why would he just leave? What was he running from?'_

Thinking more clearly, I closed my eyes and tried to sense out his ki; it was very difficult though.

_'He's hiding it. His ki is high enough so I know he's alive but low enough to keep me from finding him. I can't lock onto it enough for me to use my instant transmission either. Maybe if I was closer I could sense him better but he would just sense me first and push his power level down to zero. Damn him for being so smart.'_ Groaning, I opened my eyes and stared out his window for a bit. I then put on my serious face and walked out of Gohan's room. _'I've got a job to do now.'_

"Chi-Chi, Gohan's missing." I stated once I got to the kitchen.

She stared at me with a shocked face, which then turned to worry. I could see her yelling at me, probably with a lot of questions but I wasn't focused on her noise, I was focused on the small gasp I heard behind me. I turned around to see a worried Goten staring up at me. Apparently he had heard my statement as well.

"Big Brother's missing?" he asked.

"Yes son. It seems he ran off into the woods somewhere." I tried to say my words with as much seriousness as I could muster, pushing the panic and worry away as best as I could.

"Well can't you just sense him and then go bring him back?!" I finally heard my wife cry.

I turned back to her and her panicked face almost broke my tough composer, almost.

"I normally would be able to but he's suppressing his power level. For some reason Chi-Chi, Gohan doesn't WANT to be found."

The statement shocked both Chi-Chi and Goten. Even hearing myself say it made my stomach turn. _'He doesn't want to be found. My son doesn't want to be found. Gohan..._'

I shook the thoughts from my head and continued my speech.

"It doesn't matter though you guys because I'm going to find him no matter what. I will bring him back home."

A new sense of determination set over me then as I said that out loud. I saw Chi-chi's expression soften and a tiny smile appeared on her delicate face. Goten had tears in his eyes but they were no longer filled with panic, instead it was replaced with what looked like... pride. Yes that's it; both my wife and my son's eyes were filled with pride and love. I realized it was directed towards me. _'All their hope is in me now. I cannot let them down!'_

* * *

I told my wife to call Bulma and let her know what was going on. I then went to telepathically contact Piccolo to inform him as well.

**Piccolo! Hey Piccolo!**

I waited for a minute or two before I got a reply.

**Goku, what is it?**

I took a deep breath as I prepared myself to tell Piccolo the situation.

**It's Gohan. He's missing. **

It took less than a minute for Piccolo to answer back this time.

**I'm on my way.**

Chi-Chi informed me that Bulma was calling everyone to come help, which was fine with me. Tired of being confined, I went to sit outside my house and wait for the gang to arrive. Piccolo was the first to arrive, which I was actually glad about. I had planned to talk with him privately about the situation anyways, so this just made it a lot easier.

"Piccolo, I need to have a word with you before the others get here."

He looked at me puzzled for a second and then returned his face back to its normal serious self.

"Sure thing Goku."

We walked away from my house, but not so far that it wasn't out of view. We stopped walking and I turned to Piccolo with my serious look still plastered onto my face.

"What happened with Gohan this morning?" I decided it was better to be straight forward with this conversation.

"I know you sensed the distress in his ki, like I did. That's why you went to go check on him. But what I want to know is what did he say to you that made you turn back? What happened?"

He stayed silent for awhile. I didn't mind though, I would wait as long as it took until he finally answers my question. _'He's trying to pick his words carefully. I can tell.'_

I just stayed silently looking at him, waiting for his response. Finally, he spoke.

"I asked him if anything was wrong. He, of course, said that everything was fine but I could hear the distress in his voice. Something was greatly disturbing him but he didn't want to talk about it. He started to beg me to just go back to the Lookout, saying that he was completely fine. I knew he was lying, but I didn't want to pry anymore than I should. So I turned back, hoping that he would open up to you about his feelings. Obviously, I was wrong."

The last sentence felt like a doctor stuck a needle in my heart; boy, it was painful. _'My own son didn't want to talk to me about his feelings.'_

I hated that, but I kept that pain bottled up like everything else; I had to be strong, like always.

"Well, whatever is bothering him must be really bad if it drove him to run away and stay hidden" I said.

"Yes, and I'm worried that if he doesn't get help soon then he will be lost forever in his thoughts. He will drive himself mad."

Piccolo's words shocked my very being, and this time the emotion I felt showed through my face_. _

_'Piccolo's right! My son might very well lose his mind!'_ I couldn't let that happen; I wouldn't. I wasn't gonna fail everyone, especially my son. I was gonna make everything alright.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I sensed some familiar energy about to arrive at my house.

"It seems that Bulma has arrived. And she's brought Vegeta and Trunks."

I told Piccolo that we should keep our conversation a secret from everyone else so not to worry them further; he agreed.

* * *

We arrived back at the house to find Chi-Chi and Bulma chatting away inside, Goten and Trunks running around outside, and Vegeta leaning against a tree with the same annoyed frown on his face. Vegeta's face changed to a small grin when he saw me arrive, however. He then left his post on the tree and walked up to Piccolo and me; I could already tell that he wanted to know what had happened.

"Let's wait till the others get here, so I won't have to repeat myself" I said, not even giving him a chance to speak.

Vegeta just grunted in response and went back to the tree. I took a seat on the ground in front of the front door while Piccolo went to find his own tree to lean upon.

_'I swear, those two are exactly alike, always so grumpy and isolated. It must be so boring.'_ I frowned at the thought. It sounded terrible to live life like that; I know I couldn't do it. Suddenly, I felt two small bodies crawl onto my lap. I looked down to find Goten and Trunks looking up at me with worry in their eyes.

"Dad, I know you said you'd find big brother but do you really think you can do it?" Goten asked.

"Yeah! What makes you so sure that you can you really find Gohan? Nobody can even sense his energy for crying out loud!" Trunks added.

I smiled at them and placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Hey, you guys are just gonna have to trust me on this okay? I know things seem impossible right now but I promise you, I WILL find Gohan. I have never broken a promise before and I'm not about to start now. So stop your worrying and let me handle this alright?"

I ruffled their hair which caused both of them to smile. I chuckled at their innocence and looked up in time to see Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien all touch down at the same time.

"Alright you guys finally made it!" I said with a bit of my normal enthusiasm.

"Sure thing Goku, we came as soon as we heard." Krillin said.

Without looking, I could feel Vegeta's presence approaching my left side.

"Kakarot, the buffoons are all here so can you finally tell us what's going on with your bratty son?"

It was strange to hear Vegeta's voice have ANY type of concern in it, but I knew after the whole Buu fiasco he had changed. He cared about others, although he still refused to show it whenever he could. But I knew. Since way back on Namek when I learned he had saved my son's life, I knew.

I gave Vegeta a smirk and called for everyone to gather 'round. I placed the two boys on the ground and stood up. Once everyone was outside and around me I began my little speech.

"As you all know, Gohan is missing. He is suppressing his ki so that tells us that he doesn't want to be found. Now normally I wouldn't t be too worried about a situation like this since I know he can take care of himself but this time it's different. What most of you don't know is that Gohan has been dealing with some emotional problems since this morning that neither Piccolo nor I can explain. This is why we must find him and bring him back home."

I had to pause in my speech because Chi-Chi and Goten started to cry with the information I had told them. Bulma went to hug Chi-Chi to calm her down, so I picked Goten up and held him in my arms to try and comfort him as best as I could. He clung to my shirt for dear life and hid his face in my chest. The scene broke my heart, but I had to stay serious to continue.

"All we have to go on for his location are the footprints I found outside of his window. They suggest that he ran away from the back of the house so he wouldn't run into anyone. This is all I know."

I finished talking and an eerie silence fell over everyone, like none of them wanted to be the first one to speak. Finally, Krillin stepped up and broke the silence.

"Well, while you guys think of a better idea, I think I'm gonna go search the area where Gohan's footprints led to. I mean it's the only lead we've got on his location, since there's not enough of his energy to lock onto."

_'Huh, why didn't I think of that? I guess I was too worried about Gohan to even think of something THAT obvious.'_

It seemed like everyone else had the exact same thoughts running through their heads because they were all giving Krillin the same shocked expression like I was.

"Wow Krillin, I'm impressed. That's actually not a bad idea" Bulma said.

"Yeah, why didn't any of us think of it first?" said Yamcha.

"Well thanks guys" Krillin said with an annoyed expression on his face.

Everyone laughed at that, even Vegeta and Piccolo seemed slightly amused. After that, Krillin took off, leaving the rest of us to think of a full-proof plan to get Gohan back.

"Hey Goku, Yamcha and I are gonna check the perimeters of your house. Yah know, just in case Gohan might have used his footprints to try and lead us off his trail. He is very smart after all" Tien stated.

"Good thinking you guys" I said.

Now that Tien and Yamcha left, only Piccolo, Vegeta, and I remained. Bulma had taken Chi-Chi inside to rest while making Goten and Trunks something to eat. None of us said a word to each other, so I decided to sit back down on the ground. _'Maybe if I meditate for a bit I can clear my mind enough to think of something.'_

I closed my eyes and got into a meditative position. I blocked out any outside noise and only focused on the silence of my mind. Everything outside started to fade away and I now entered the black, empty solitude of my mind. _'Now I can think.'_

I never even noticed Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien come back from their searches, for I was too absorbed inside my mind, but I already knew that they wouldn't find anything. What I did notice, however, immediately snapped me out of my mediation. I noticed the feel of strong hand on my shoulder and then right after someone yelling my name. My eyes shot wide open and I turned to find Piccolo's hand on my shoulder.

_'So he's the one who called my name. It must be important.'_ I stood up and faced Piccolo.

"Piccolo, what is it?"

"Goku, I think I have a way to locate Gohan."

My facial expression filled with curiosity. _'Leave it to Piccolo to come up with a great idea.' _

"Well, spill it Namekian! We haven't got all day!" Vegeta yelled.

Piccolo snarled at Vegeta and Vegeta took that as a challenge to fight. They both got into fighting positions but before either of them got to throw a punch, I got in the middle and broke it up.

"Hey come on guys, this is no time to fight" I said with a serious tone.

Piccolo and Vegeta backed away from each other and stood on either side of me. _'Typical.'_

"Piccolo, tell us your idea" I said facing him.

"Well I was thinking, Gohan and I have a strong bond so why not just use that to find him? If I concentrate my mind right I can just follow the link straight to him."

"Wow Piccolo! Are you sure you can do that? I never knew it was possible to find someone just by using your bond" I said, quite amazed by what Piccolo has just said.

"Well it depends on the strength of the bond. I can only do this with Gohan since our bond is pretty strong. You could do it too Goku, after all, your bond with Gohan is as strong as they get" Piccolo states.

_'Well how 'bout that' _I think to myself.

"Now, if you guys will excuse me, I have someone to find" Piccolo states, and flies away.

* * *

**I wanted to actually thank everyone who has commented on my story so far. It really does mean a lot to know that SOMEONE out there is enjoying this. I wanted to say thanks to unwanted half sayian-demon for suggesting the idea to add a Goku's POV; It was quite brillant if I do say so myself. **

**I also wanted to clarify to the readers who think that Gohan is being a huge cry baby, I made it the whole point to portray Gohan like that. He's had to be strong basically his ENTIRE life, even during those seven years of peace between the Cell Saga and the Buu Saga, Gohan had to stay strong for his mom and his brother. So now that his dad is back and the world is safe, he finally can let his guard down and by doing so all the emotions of his childhood have rushed back to him. He's acting like a child because he still is one; he was just forced to grow up too quickly. He might be in the body of an 18 year old but his mind, emotionally speaking of course, is still stuck as an 11 year old boy's. So for those of you who are bothered by his over the top behavior, don't worry, I did it on purpose. He'll get back to being his happy, normal self once this whole thing is resolved; that's the whole point of this story actually (: **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own NO part of Dragon Ball Z, trust me. **

**So sorry for SUCH a long wait! I had trouble coming up with some details for this chapter and then my life got super busy with schoolwork so I haven't gotten a chance to finish this chapter until now! I do hope you guys enjoy this chapter though; I really did put a lot of thought into it. **

"blah blah blah" = Normal dialogue

_'blah blah blah'_ = Thoughts

**Blah blah blah** = Telepathic conversations

* * *

Goku's POV

As we watched Piccolo fly away from us, Krillin turned to me.

"Well, what do we do now Goku?" Krillin asked.

"I guess just wait and see what happens" I answer. "You guys can go inside and relax now of you want. I'll stay out here and wait for Piccolo."

"Sounds good to me" Yamcha says.

He walks into my house and is shortly followed by Tien. Vegeta heads back to his tree. Krillin, unlike the rest, stays beside me.

"I'll stay out here with you Goku, if you don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind Krillin" I say to him with a smile.

I decide to sit down again and Krillin follows suit. _'Man, today has not turned out like I had expected AT ALL. Son, where are you?'_

I stare off into the sky, hoping that my son is alright. It had been a few minutes since Piccolo left, but I could feel his ki slowly making its way in the direction of where Gohan's footprints led. _'Come on Piccolo. You can do this.'_

All of a sudden, I felt a wave of panic and fear wash over me, so much so that it almost pushed me down from my sitting position. _'What is going on here?'_

"Goku! Are you alright?" Krillin said with panic in his voice.

I heard Krillin's words but I couldn't find the strength to reply for some reason. I sensed Vegeta moving towards me in concern as well but as much as I wanted to tell them what was going on, I couldn't. It felt like I was being paralyzed by an outside force. Panic that wasn't mine continued to surge through me; the shock of it all made my breathing turn erratic. I gripped onto the grass to try and steady myself. I could hear Krillin still yelling for me to answer and feel Vegeta's ki beside me. I was frozen by emotions that weren't even mine and I wanted it to stop. It took all I had to force my eyes closed so I could try and identify the person responsible for this. _'This energy, it feels familiar. But the emotions coming from it are insane! It's... it's Gohan! Oh no, what is going on over there?!'_

My eyes snapped open and I could hear someone panting heavily, like as if they ran a lot. '_Oh wow, that's me! This is getting out of hand. Gohan!'_

Just as quick as it had come, the feelings stopped and I immediately fell onto my back. My vision was blurred and my breathing was loud, but the panicked emotions that had paralyzed me just a few seconds ago had vanished.

"Goku! Goku! Are you alright? Oh, please tell me you're alright!" I heard Krillin exclaim.

"Baldy, you're smothering him! For crying out loud, give Kakarot room to breathe!" Vegeta yelled.

As my vision cleared, I could see both Vegeta and Krillin standing above me, looking down at me with great concern. I pushed myself up slowly and stood up. By habit, I flexed my arms and hand muscles. _'How strange, I feel completely normal now. It's like that attack never even happened.'_

My ears, now working properly, picked up on some small crying going on away from me. I looked up towards my house and saw by the door Tien and Yamcha trying to restrain a very worried Goten, while Bulma was comforting Trunks in her arms.

"Daddy! Daddy!" I heard Goten yell.

I nodded to Tien and Yamcha that they could let go, and right when they did I saw Goten take off towards me with incredible speed. He jumped into my arms within a second; the impact would have knocked me over if I had not straightened myself out as fast as I did.

"Goten, hey Goten. It's alright. I'm okay now."

My little son looked up at me with worry still in his wide eyes. "Are you sure dad? I was scared for you."

Smiling at him, I answered, "I'm alright now Goten. Don't worry about me."

While having Goten still in my arms, I turned towards Krillin and Vegeta. My serious face was back on and so was theirs.

"Alright Kakarot, let's have it. What happened to you just now?" Vegeta asked.

"Yeah Goku, what was that? You looked like you did when that heart virus attacked you during your fight with Android 19" Krillin added.

"Well it might have looked similar but the feeling wasn't at all alike. I felt a huge rush of panic flood my mind, panic that wasn't mine. It paralyzed me, so that's why I couldn't move or answer any of you. When I closed my eyes I tried to feel out who the culprit was; I discovered it was Gohan. Whatever he was going through just then, he unknowingly pushed some of his panicked energy towards me. It was just a small portion of it, but man it was radical! If just that small amount affected me like it did, then I can't even begin to imagine what Gohan is going through right now."

"Man, insane" Krillin said in shock.

Everyone was pretty stunned by what I had just told them. I couldn't blame them; it was a lot to process. I couldn't focus on that for long though because I immediately felt Piccolo's ki fall dramatically. I looked around and everyone else seemed to notice as well. _'Piccolo, what's happened?'_

I didn't have to wait long I discovered, for Piccolo's ki picked up and was heading to us. I put Goten down now and told him to go back with Bulma. I crossed my arms and tried to make sense of all this mess that had happened today. I picked my head up again when I felt Piccolo's ki rise even higher. _'Piccolo's coming back fast. He must have found something important.'_

Before Piccolo even arrived back, I started to get this mild headache and for some odd reason I felt very uneasy. I felt... wrong, like something terrible was going to happen. As the minutes progressed, I started to feel increasingly ill. I started to sweat and the heavy breathing I had experienced just a little earlier was now starting to return. _'What is going on NOW?'_

Piccolo finally arrived and came towards me in a hurry, but stopped when he saw the condition I was in.

"Goku! Oh no, I'm too late. He's already started!" he yelled out.

"Who... already... started... what now?" I said, struggling between breaths.

"Goku, what's wrong? Are Gohan's emotions attacking you again?" Krillin asked.

"No, it's worse. Gohan is severing the bond that Goku and he share" stated Piccolo.

"WHAT?!" Vegeta, Krillin, and I yell out at the same time.

"How is that... even possible?" I asked between breaths.

"There's no time to explain. Gohan has already done the same thing to me. That's why you felt my energy fall. But there might still be enough time for you to stop him Goku! Your bond with him is much stronger; therefore it will take more time to cut. Quickly, you must go into a deep mediation, NOW!" Piccolo yelled.

I nodded, but at that moment my energy gave out and I fell on my side.

"Goku!" Krillin yelled out.

I put my hand out to stop him and slowly put myself into a sitting position. I crossed my legs, folded my hands together, closed my eyes, and tried to focus my mind. I pushed away all the physical pains that I was feeling and blocked out all outside noises.

_'I have to go deep inside my mind. I have to find the bond; that's where Gohan will be.'_ I let the black, noiseless void take me. I pushed further through the void than I had ever gone before.

* * *

I opened up my eyes to find that I was completely shrouded in darkness. I never had any need to go this deep inside of my subconscious, so I really didn't know what to expect.

"How strange, it's almost like I'm in a dream, except I am fully aware of what I am doing" I said in wonder.

I was snapped out of my trance when I felt a prominent power level way ahead of me.

"That must be where Gohan is, it has to be. But there's another power next to him, although it doesn't feel like an actual person, and it's HUGE. I wonder what that is. It feels sort of... familiar..." I shook my head. "No time to think about that, I have to find Gohan."

I couldn't see anything, but I didn't need my eyes in order to know where I was going. I ran towards the power level, hoping that I could make it in time to stop all of this. I ran for what felt like a couple of minutes until I saw a bright light just on the horizon. I stopped in my tracks.

"Whoa! The power coming from there is enormous! That must be the power I felt earlier."

I sensed for Gohan's ki, and sure enough he was located right where that bright light was. I took this slight pause to really study the powerful energy. It was made up of two different and distinct shades of blue, one light and one a shade darker. They were coming from both sides, almost like if two people were firing a ki blast at each other and struggling for dominance. The difference was that when these two powers met in the middle they weren't fighting, they were mixing together almost like they were attached. The sight of it was breathtaking.

"Gohan's over there. But then that could only mean…" I put two and two together. "Then that means that bright source of energy is our bond! That's why it felt familiar; it's the powers of Gohan and me. Whoa, I can't believe it! I never thought our bond was THIS strong!" I was in total amazement; I had no idea that our bond was this incredible.

I ran forward. I knew my son was just in front of me, and that was enough motivation to keep me going. The light was getting brighter and brighter as I pressed forward, which I knew was a good sign.

"If our link is still there then that means that Gohan hasn't broken it yet. And that means I still have time!" I said while running.

The light kept getting brighter and more powerful as I got closer and closer. Soon the light became too unbearable to look at directly, so I had to squint my eyes to see anything. The energy emitting from the bond started to push me back as I got really close; it's like it was trying to keep me from progressing in my journey. But I knew that Gohan was just a few feet away so I had to keep going. I raised my power level enough to keep me from being pushed back and continued on my mission. Suddenly, I felt him. I felt my son's struggling energy just a few steps ahead of me. I could also feel the true extent to all the pain and anguish he was experiencing; it was mind boggling.

"Gohan!" I yelled as loud as I could.

I felt him tense up at the sound of my call and stop whatever actions he was doing. Taking this moment, I closed the remaining gaps between myself and the bond. That's when I saw him; it looked as though he hadn't noticed me there just yet. He was placed on top of where the two of our energies met or well where they were supposes to meet. There was hardly any connection left! It looked like two separate energies being connected by a thin piece of string. I just stared at our now extremely damaged bond; my eyes were wide and despair started to fill my very being. _'Have I really cut it this close? Gohan has destroyed so much of it already that there's hardly anything left to save...'_

"Daddy?"

I hardly hear my son talk for I was still too caught up in my own emotions. My eyes were transfixed on the small sliver of energy still connecting my mind with Gohan's. _'How could I have let it get this far? I can already feel him slipping away from me. How am I supposed to fix this...' _

"Dad... dad what are you doing here?"

I snapped out of my thoughts at those words and fixes my gaze at my son. He looked completely shocked to see me.

_'Of course he does, he's been running away from you all day.' _I shuttered at the thought.

"Dad?"

I realized I was taking too long to answer. Shaking away any previous thoughts and emotions, I tried to be as serious as possible.

"You know why I'm here Gohan."

His face went from one of shock to one of complete sadness. It broke my heart, but I couldn't let my emotions be visible.

"Dad, you're too late. I've already destroyed most of it."

"I can see that. But that doesn't mean there isn't anything left to save! Gohan, what's going on? Why are you doing all of this?" I couldn't hide my curiosity. I needed to know.

I knew he might be apprehensive about answering, and he might even sever the rest of our bond, but I had to take the chance. I waited for him to make his move.

"It's my fault dad; it's always been my fault. I deserve this."

He broke eye contact and bent his head downwards. I couldn't hide the shock and confusion that swept my mind this time.

"What are you talking about son? What's your fault?" I was genuinely confused.

He brought his gaze back up to mine. I could see the sadness and determination in those wide orbs of his.

"You died because of me. Because of my mistake. You were forced to stay away for all those years because of me, dad! I deserve every bit of pain that this breakage will cause me."

I was stunned. My brain couldn't even register what he had just said. _'His fault? No, no it wasn't his fault. Nothing was his fault. Why would he say such a thing?'_

"Gohan, what are you talking about? It wasn't your..."

"Stop it dad! I know what you're gonna say, so just stop it! It was my fault. You're my father, it's your job to try and make me feel better. But I know the truth. I know."

I let out a sigh. Every word he said was like another needle to the heart. He truly believed that he caused my death, that he was to blame for my destruction. He thought he knew the truth, because he was there. But he really didn't know anything.

_'Oh son, if only you truly knew...'_

I couldn't tell him back then when he was so young, and I can't tell him now. Not with his mental state how it is. He wouldn't believe a single word of it. _'I'll have to save this talk for later. No matter what I say he will just ignore it and become more upset. Right now I have to calm him down enough to make him think properly.' _I got myself back to serious mode.

"Son, why are you doing this? Why break our bond?"

I could tell he was quite surprised that i had not chosen to continue talking about the previous topic. It was written all over his face. But that surprise and confusion soon lifted and was replaced with sadness once more.

"I... I don't want to do this dad. I really don't. But it's the only way I can fully keep hidden. So that you or Piccolo or anybody else can't find me. I need to be alone."

"Gohan, just think about what you're doing. You already threw away years of connection with Piccolo! You don't know how much it hurt him. Why would you choose to do that to me? To us? I don't want to lose you this way Gohan."

My heart was aching more and more with each word I spoke. I felt like I was close to tears, but I was good at keeping those things at bay.

"I'm sorry dad. I really am. I never wanted to hurt Piccolo like that. And I definitely don't want to hurt you either. But I can't go back home. I deserve this pain..."

I was starting to get angry at this point.

_'Dammit Gohan! Stop it! You don't deserve any of this pain and you know it!' _I wanted to yell at him but i knew it would only make things worse, so I tried to calm myself down. I took a few deep breathes before I began to speak again.

"So what? Do you plan on staying away forever? Come on Gohan, you know you can't do that. If not for me, then think about Goten and your mother. They want you home, where they know you're safe."

"I don't know dad. I honestly have no clue what I'm gonna do. But I know I can't go home, not yet anyways. I never meant for any of this to happen you know. I never wanted to hurt anyone, especially you guys."

I heard the pain in his voice as he said those words. At that moment all I wanted to do was to embrace him and try to take away all the pain he was feeling.

"Gohan, I..." I started to move towards him, reaching out with a hand.

I could tell as he flinched away that I had made the wrong move. I stopped moving and looked at him with expecting eyes, waiting to see just how much damage I had caused by moving those couple of steps.

"Dad…" he started with a pain-filled whisper while looking very deep into my eyes. It was like he was letting me see into his soul. He then pulled his eyes away quickly and looked down. "Dad I'm so sorry, but I need to do this" he said with a stronger, more determined voice.

I already knew what he was going to do even before he said those words. I saw it when his eyes were connected with mine. Nothing I said made a difference to him; he was set on this. I couldn't hide the panic that showed through my eyes at the time and now I couldn't hide it in my voice.

"Son, please don't do this! I love you! Just let me help you, please!" I begged. I knew it was a long-shot but I just couldn't bear to lose Gohan, not like this.

"I'm sorry…" Gohan whispered.

I barely heard that last apology for I was already moving to stop him. I was fast, but he was closer to the bond than I was. I saw him grab hold of the last strip of blue energy and pull.

"GOHAN, NO!" I yelled in a panic.

I jumped and reached my arm out to try and grab hold of Gohan but I was too late. At first all I heard was electrical crackling, but then a very loud crack followed. A big gush of wind from the pressure of the now free bonds pushed me back down on my back. I then felt my mind pulling me back into consciousness; the feeling was almost like being pulled back by a bungee cord after jumping. I saw all the blackness rush past me in a hurry, and as I got closer and closer to reality my outside senses started to work again. I started to sense all the energies gathered around me, I could hear the wind blowing through the trees, and I could feel the immense pain radiating from my physical body.

My eyes burst open and I started to gasp for air. I collapsed onto my hands and knees from my sitting position and continued to try and fill my lungs with air. The pain I felt was excruciating; I felt like I was dying. My heart was going a mile a minute, my lungs refused to be satisfied, my stomach was about to explode, my head was pounding, I was sweating by the gallons, and now my arms and legs felt like jelly. I fell onto my side and let out a loud groan. I closed my eyes and tried to calm down, but I couldn't; the pain in my heart was just too great. I could hear all the yelling going on around me and felt all the hands attacking my body in concern, but it my mind was too fogged up to make any sense of it. I felt like I had been torn in two; the pain was almost unbearable.

After a couple of minutes of lying curled up on my side my body started to calm down. My heart and breathing slowed, my stomach settled down, and the pounding in my head settled to a steady pain. I flipped onto my back and just tried to breathe. My senses started to sharpen back up, although I still tuned out the outside commotion for I was still too exhausted to deal with them right now. Now that my body was calming back down a new sense of pain started to make its presence known. My muscles were extremely sore, like I had I just finished an extreme workout. This pain hurt but it was nothing I wasn't used to, my body has gone through much worse than just a little soreness. The pain I felt from this sudden emptiness, however, was something completely different; the ache I felt in my heart was indescribable. I felt completely raw and hollow, like a huge piece of my life force had suddenly just been taken away, but that's basically what just happened a minute ago right? I was robbed of a piece of my life force, my reason for being. My connection with my first born son was gone, and I couldn't do a thing to stop him.

* * *

**I know that Goku's character is a little OC right now but I thought it was fitting with the way things where playing out in this scene. I just can't see Goku having all this emotional stuff happen to him and still stay his happy, go-lucky self; I was just trying to show what could be going through his head, because its always hard to tell with Goku. **

******Now, I can't tell you when the next chapter will be up but I'm hoping that I won't have to keep you guys waiting as long as I had to with this chapter. I do know that in the next chapter I will finish up on Goku's POV, for now, and start up with Gohan's POV again, just giving you guys a little insight on what you can expect. Well, 'til next time everyone! (: **


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